


denial

by nataliagraey



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Dates, Dating, F/M, Love, Spencer Reid - Freeform, creepymen, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:14:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29327637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nataliagraey/pseuds/nataliagraey
Summary: yes... it's your favorite fake dating trope.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader, Spencer Reid/You
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

You ran into the elevator, pushing the "close doors" button rapidly and as many times as you could. Emily slipped in right before they closed, holding a hand over her heart and staring at you with wide eyes. "What are you, being chased?" she asked, selecting the BAU floor.

You groan, hitting your head on the elevator wall. "Jake from floor two has been trying to ask me out on a date for the past week. He's a sweet thing, but I'm running out of excuses! One of his coworkers told him I wasn't dating anyone, _total_ bitch move, so I either need to find another boyfriend fast or just go on a date with him."

"Or," Emily suggests, raising an eyebrow, "you could just tell him you're not interested?" 

You shake your head so fast you get whiplash. "Confrontation? It's _me_ we're talking about." you sigh, stepping out of the elevator doors after a precursory check to make sure Jake hadn't run up the stairs or anything. 

"So, what was the excuse today?" Emily asks, walking with you and grinning. 

You cringe, pushing open the door and holding it for Em. "Well..." you start, fidgeting with your work bag strap.

Emily smirks. "Spit it out, y/n."

You blush, but cave. "Well, I told him that I... that I'm having a sexual identity crisis? Which is actually not going to be far off if you keep showing up to work in those shirts, Emily." 

Emily raises her eyebrows, and laughs, hooking her arm through yours and leading you down to the bullpen. You sigh, sitting down and pulling out my paperwork. "You think I'm joking," you mutter humorously, throwing a pen at her. She catches it, putting it in her mouth like a rose and pulling out her own pen, starting her paperwork. It only takes you a little while longer to look back at your files. 

Hours later, Penelope runs down, dragging Morgan behind her by his bicep and calling attention to all BAU team members. 

"Hi my lovelies, we are going to be celebrating tonight at Donna's Bar." she says with a smile, hand still on Morgan's arm. Morgan groans, turning away and making a pleading face at you and Emily. You both just raise your eyebrows at him, and you smile and wink, not sure what Garcia is up to but assuming that whatever it's about will be a great reason. 

"What for?" Spencer asks, folding his legs underneath him as he sits on his desk. 

"Why, for Morgan and I of course! Today is the 11th anniversary of the day I first locked eyes on this gorgeous chocolate chiseled piece of candy."

Everyone around you nods, picking up their stuff and smiling at each other, ready to go celebrate. Morgan and Garcia's relationship is one of the staples of the team, so why not, right? 

In the end, Hotch and Rossi are the only ones not coming, Hotch saying that he wants to spend time with Jack and Rossi saying he wants to spend time with possible Mrs. Rossi number four. Rossi says the last part with a wink, and Emily laughs, shaking her head at Rossi when she passes him. 

You, JJ, Reid, and Emily carpool, Reid already taking the title of designated driver home with no needed discussion. Emily gives JJ the aux, and Circus by Britney Spears blasts. The girls all sing along, you included, Reid just smiling, nodding, and looking vaguely alarmed when you all scream the chorus. 

You all head into the bar, you and Emily heading to the bathroom to change into the emergency party clothes that you both keep in a little area of Garcia's bat cave. 

You feel a bit insecure and overdressed as you ask Emily to help zip up your sparkling silver mini dress, but you soon find that as long as you stay near Emily, no one was going to notice you. She quirked an eyebrow and pulled out a short, black, off-the-shoulder dress with a slit that climbed dangerously high. You whooped and cheered her on, the both of you pulling on your heels. Yours weren't that tall, sparkling straps with a clear heel. Emily's were white, a color combo that you realized no one other than Emily Prentiss could pull off, and had a thin heel. You headed back out, only to run into Reid, on his way to the bathroom. He immediately flushes, nodding, smiling, and giving you guys an awkward thumbs up while saying, "You guys look, uh, good." 

You and Emily smile, and you already feel halfway drunk. Garcia and Morgan walk in, Garcia in an incredible little pink dress with flowers and matching heels. Morgan still has his work clothes on, but has thrown a suit jacket on top as well as a Morgan-style grin.

You cheer, grabbing a round of drinks from the bar. "To the best friend-relationship-flirting thingy there is!" you call, downing a shot and blowing a kiss to the two of them. Everyone else cheers, all downing a shot except for Reid, of course. 

A few minutes later, you've had a drink, and are already dancing with some handsome stranger on the dance floor. You spin, laughing, then stop in your tracks and run to hide behind JJ, clutching her shoulders. 

"Wh- y/n? What are you doing? What's going on?" JJ asks, looking over her shoulder at you. You quickly fill her in on the Jake from floor two situation, pointing him out as he walks through the door and to the bar, saying hello to Emily when he passes her. He stops, talking to Emily, and you pray to god that she doesn't tell him you’re here. You can see Emily's body language change from across the room as she smiles at Jake, casting her eyes around furtively until she spots you, pretending to turn and take a drink as she widens her eyes at you. You shake your hand back and forth in front of your neck, indicating that she was not to tell him anything about you. She turns back to Jake, shrugs, laughs, pats him on the arm, then walks away towards Reid. 

A moment passes, then JJ starts giggling, clutching her stomach and practically doubling over as they turn into full-on laughs. You're too tipsy not to join in, and the both of you sink to the ground, clutching onto each other and laughing like maniacs. You finally get yourselves together, still huddled on the dance-floor, racking in deep breaths and rubbing moisture from your eyes, careful not to smudge your mascara. 

JJ gets up and pulls you behind her, hiding and ducking behind random objects and people in crazy attempts to avoid being seen. She then yanks your arm, running across the seating area and dragging you behind her. You run, laughing and stumbling, nearly hitting a surprised Reid before latching onto his arm and pulling him in for the train ride. The three of you collapse in a dark booth, you and JJ out of breath, Reid blinking down at the two of you in his sober state. 

Reid doesn't ask questions, just smiles and pulls a water bottle out of his bag, offering it to you. You take it gladly and kiss him on the cheek, uncapping the bottle and taking a sip before passing it to JJ. Reid's neck turns red, and you smile to yourself, crossing one knee over the other as you casually lean back and closer to him. His cheeks turn crimson, and you smile, raising your eyebrows at JJ. You have an idea, and gesture for JJ to get out of the booth. Instead of following after her on the other end of the booth, however, you get on both of your knees on the seat, swinging one knee over Reid's legs and straddling him for a second before swinging your other leg over. You then roll out of the booth, grabbing JJ's arm and speed-walking over to Emily, ducking your head to avoid Jake's detection. 

You glance over your shoulder once to look at Reid, and find him looking back at you, quickly averting his eyes when you catch him watching. He clears his throat and sips from his water bottle. 

You can see the red shade of his neck from across the room. 

You reach Emily and Garcia, thankfully sitting in another dark booth. "Ah!" Garcia whisper-screams, grabbing your shoulders and slamming your shoulders down onto the seat. Once she lets go, you sit up unsteadily, staring at her and wondering what the hell that was about. You ask her as much. Garcia shrugs, taking a sip of her drink. 

"Jake was looking this way." Garcia says.

"Oh don't look at Emily like that! I noticed something was going on and got her a little drunk... but you should've told me! I could've set you up with one of my friends..." Garcia continues with a whine.

You groan and cut her off right there, fixing your hair and flopping down onto the booth. "No way. After Trenton, I'd rather take my chances online." Garcia makes a "pssht" noise, downing the rest of her drink. "Okay, so Trenton didn't work out, but there's still Chuck, and, ooh! Logan..." her voice drones on but you stop paying attention, instead watching ecstatically as you see Jake take his leave and exit the building. 

The moment the doors close behind him you whoop, standing up on the booth seat and sharing the good news. Emily cheers and stands up on the booth with you, soon followed by JJ as a worried Garcia stands below you guys, hands hovering out in front of her, ready to catch. 

The three of you stumble down to the floor again, smiling at random men as you all hook arms and head over to the now Jake-free bar. A man a few seats down sends the three of you drinks, and you each blow him a kiss, taking the drinks and looking around for Garcia. You soon find her, dancing and laughing on the floor with none other than Derek Morgan, as at least 7 girls look on, jealous. You pull out your phone and snap a pic, then flip the camera and take a selfie with JJ and Em. 

You hear Reid's voice, louder than usual. JJ and Emily don't seem to notice, instead heading over to the dance floor and preceding to grind against each other. You look around for Reid, only to find him in the same booth as earlier, looking incredibly uncomfortable and a bit alarmed as a girl showing practically all her cleavage leans over him, a clearly unwelcome hand pressing on his thigh. You frown, quickly starting to run over, pushing past a drunk man who gets in your way. You pause a table away, watching as Reid stands up and pushes past her, his body language defensive and her face shocked, then angry. 

You start walking towards them again, picking up the pace when you see the girl take a step toward Reid, her hands balled at her sides. You reach Reid's side, hooking your arm through his and smiling up at him. "Hey darling, wanna go make out in the bathrooms?" you ask, adding the word _"again"_ to the end to really get your point across to that bitch. She gasps and makes a whiny noise, actually _stomping her foot_ before walking away and flipping us off. 

Despite your crassness, Reid isn't blushing. He's only staring at some random table angrily, his eyebrows drawn together and his mouth tilting down. His frown makes a few wrinkles pop up, and without thinking, you reach up and smooth them out. He finally snaps back to reality, looking down at you in surprise. You blush and your eyes widen, unhooking your arm from his and cursing the three shots you had taken earlier. 

"Oh, uh, thanks, y/n. It's really unfortunate when people can't handle rejection or respect others' personal space." Reid says, still a bit distracted as he takes a small sip from his water bottle. You scoff, and say, "Tell me about it. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to physically run away from Jake before he'll stop putting his hand on my shoulder and asking about my cacti. I barely ever water the things, let alone think about them! Now all of the sudden he's asking for 'daily updates' and joking about how cacti is our 'thing.'" 

You wince, stretching out your heels. "Sorry, I overshare and ramble when I drink. Also, am I crazy or did I see you stand up to that bitch?" 

Reid blinks down at you. "Jake from floor two? Also, you're totally fine, I don't mind at all. And, I kind of told her off? I mean I told her I wasn't interested and asked her to please stop touching me, but I think it might have come off more passive than I had intended." he says, rubbing the heel of his palm against his jaw line as he winces. "Don't think she really listened." he finishes, shrugging and sticking his hands in his pocket.

You sigh, leaning against the nearby wall. "I hate people like that. They can't tell a no from a yes, and even if they can, 'no' isn't ever in their vocabulary. Good for you, anyways." you say, smiling up at him. 

He nods to himself, a small smile on his lips as he looks down at his feet for a moment. "And thanks for getting rid of her, by the way. If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't really paying too much attention. What did you say to make her leave, and can I use that from now on?" he asks, eyes wide and face innocent. 

You choke, biting your tongue to keep from laughing. "Oh! Um, well I didn't really tell _her_ anything..." you wince. "I kind of asked you, if you wanted to go make out? In the bathrooms? Again?" you finish, rolling your lips together and doing everything you can to keep from bursting out in laughter.

Reid goes scarlet, and you break out into a grin, leaning in and whispering, "Come find me if anyone bothers you again. I'll kiss you senseless in the middle of the floor to let everyone know _you're mine._ " this time you don't look back, walking to the dance floor and biting your lip as you smile to yourself.

Morgan pulls you away from the stranger you had been dancing with, spinning you with a grin before leaning in and asking, "Now now, y/n, what were you doing over there talking to pretty boy all close and personal?" 

You blush, and Morgan exclaims, "Oh ho! Is there something going on that I should know about?" You shake your head adamantly, laughing despite yourself and spinning again, Morgan winking at you once before you slip away to another partner.

Later that night, Morgan and Garcia have been thoroughly celebrated, and Spencer drives you, JJ, and Emily home, Garcia and Morgan opting for a cab. This time you're the one to get the aux, and you decide to play something a bit slower, just to give everyone a chance to wind down from the alcohol. You hit play on the song, and Emily gasps, exclaiming, "Agh, this was all I listened to in high school! Come on JJ, sing with me." JJ obliges, and the three of you start singing along to Careless Whisper by George Michael. You see Reid smiling a close-lipped smile from the driver's seat, and you implore him to sing along. He finally acquiesces, albeit very quietly, as opposed to the three girls in the car, all of which scream along to the lyrics, "SO I'M NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN, THE WAY I DANCED WITH YOU OHHHHH." 

Emily invites you all to sleep at her house, making sure Reid knows he's included, and you all agree, deciding to meet at Em's in 30 minutes with sleep gear. When Reid drives everyone to the first stop, Emily's house, JJ gets out with her, assuring you all that she has enough of her own stuff scattered around Emily's to get by. Then it's just you and Reid in the car, driving down the road to your apartment complex. 

"So, no one else bother you tonight?" you ask, leaning back against the seat with your eyes closed, already nursing a small headache. You hear Reid clear his throat and shift, pausing at a red light as he responds, "Uh, no, not really." you nod and mumble back, bringing your knees up to your chest, not caring that Reid could probably see up your skirt. You trusted him, you knew for a fact that he wasn't one of those slimeball men that look at womens' asses all day.

Reid pulls to a stop and you snap your eyes open, glancing over to find Reid staring straight ahead, hand gripped awfully tight on the gear shifter. You smile softly to yourself, gathering up your stuff. Reid offers to wait, and you accept, assuring him you'll only be a few minutes. You slip off your heels and run up the stairs to your apartment, throwing your stuff into a small duffle and locking your door before running back to Reid's car. 

You had changed into a big track hoodie from high school and a short pair of thin pajama shorts. You had also put on fuzzy socks, and you slipped your feet out of your boots once you had gotten settled back into the passenger's seat. 

You grabbed the aux again, playing songs by Beethoven that you remembered Reid mentioning before. Reid parks at his apartments, getting out of the car before doubling back and opening the door again. "Hey, wanna come in for a few minutes? I don't want to leave you out in the car." he says, leaning over his seat with his feet planted right outside of the car. You smile and slip your boots back on, tying a sweater around your waist and following Reid into his apartment. 

You sit on his couch, marveling at the amount of beautiful, hard-back books he owned. You see a familiar one near the corner, Pride and Prejudice. You smile, settling your head back. His couch is really comfortable. 

Reid's ready in what's probably under two minutes, and the two of you head to Emily's, stopping at a gas station to grab unhealthy snacks and drinks. 

JJ lets you in, clearly comfortable in Em's home. The four of you cuddle together on the couch, you between Emily and Reid as you guys introduce Reid to the classics that are Clueless and Mean Girls. You all make plans to each wear a pink article of clothing the coming Wednesday, and you eventually fall asleep on Spencer's shoulder, his head resting lightly on yours.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garcia... helps you out?

"Oh! Hey y/n, I was actually hoping to catch you," Jake says, and you internally groan, pleading to every entity you know that Hotch would call you right then and there with a new case.  
"Um, hey! Jake, yeah I had some traffic issues so I'm really rushing to my floor... haha." you say, plastering on a smile.  
"Yeah, well, you know, I was just wondering..." he started, his hand coming up and gripping your upper arm. He steps closer, still not letting go of your arm. You look down at your heels in resignation, oh if only you could get him onto the ground and kick him right in the balls with your heel...  
"There's this new restaurant over on Bay Street, have you heard of it?" he asks, his hand traveling down to your forearm. You freeze, racking your brain for an excuse but your brain has frozen too. 

"Y/N! We have an emergency case, get up to the conference room with me right now!" Garcia says, running towards you and waving her hands. She steps between you and Jake, effectively ending his physical contact. You feel actual tears welling up behind your eyes from gratitude as you grab onto her like a lifeline, running back to the elevator with her and not saying goodbye to Jake, you find that you don't really give a fuck for the first time in your life. 

Once the elevator doors close, you collapse onto the wall, covering your hands with your face. What you mean to be a light-hearted and humorous show of gratitude to Garcia quickly goes south as you feel tears welling up again. You breath in and out, holding your hand out right in front of your face and focusing on it, forcing the tears back. It was just SO _goddamn_ FRUSTRATING the way you always become helpless in those situations. 

Garcia gasps lightly, pushing the elevator button for the highest floor so that you wouldn't have to get out. "Oh y/n, I'm so sorry... You know what, it's official. I'm going to call Morgan and have him dropkick that oblivious touchy-handsy asshole out of the building." she says, and you're shocked to hear her cuss. You snap out of it in a moment though, snatching her phone away from her hand. Garcia just shrugs, pulling another phone out of her bra. You snatch that one too, shaking your head adamantly. "No, Garcia, you know I love you but please don't. I need to get over this myself. The way I keep freezing up, what happens when some pedophile corners me in an alleyway? I just need to learn how to focus myself and knee people in the balls." you say with all the resolve you can muster, turning off her phones before cautiously handing them back to her.

Garcia frowns, but puts her phones away. The doors open, and you realize you're on the top floor of the building. It was actually really pretty up here, relatively empty for some reason and surrounded by windows. You make a mental note to check it out sometime. You laugh at yourself. As if the _FBI headquarters_ was some fancy hotel to explore. 

Garcia makes a surprised noise, like she forgot, then hits the close doors button, re-selecting the BAU floor. You walk into the bullpen, saying hi to everyone. Garcia hadn't been completely lying before, there actually is a new case. 

As everyone makes their way to the briefing room, however, Reid lightly touches your arm and gestures for you to stay behind. Garcia gives you a look, but you just smile and wave her off, telling her the two of you will be right there.

"Hey Spence, what's going on?" you ask, tucking your hair behind your ear and twirling a piece of it.  
Reid fidgets a bit, as if nervous to broach the topic. You smile encouragingly at him, and he swallows. "Sorry, I just... I noticed your eyes were a bit red, you were slightly hunched over, you're fidgeting with your hair, your voice is a bit high pitched, your eyes are slightly wider, you worried your bottom lip when you first walked in, and you haven't really let go of the death grip you have on your bag since you've got here." he said quietly, tapping his fingers on his legs. "Is everything alright?" he asks, licking his lips.

"Oh! Yeah, it's just... you remember I mentioned Jake from floor two? He's just been a bit touchy-feely lately with his advances and I keep running out of excuses." you sigh, resting on the nearest desk. "And I just can't seem to be able to think straight when it happens. Like, he touches me, and everything freezes. Which I know isn't really common, since I don't have trauma or anything like that." you continue, realizing that you really _had_ been keeping a death grip on your bag, and so you let go of it. 

Spencer frowns, twining his hands. "I'm really the last person on Earth to suggest you should confront him... but you should confront him. No matter how obvious it seems to us at the time, he might not really understand that his feelings aren't reciprocated."  
You sigh, you know Spencer's right. The idea scares you, but it's not like anything bad will happen, right?

"Hey pretty boy, pretty girl. Come on, we got a case." Morgan calls, and the two of you hurry to the briefing room, ignoring the inquisitive looks of the rest of the team. 

Hotch debriefs everyone, some couples were getting abducted and killed in urban Virginia. "Wheels up in 30." Hotch says, and you all start heading to the airport, you carpooling with Morgan and Reid.

Morgan sits up front and Reid in the back while you drive. The three of your had been the first to leave, and as a result, you guys had the plane to yourselves for a minute. Morgan calls up Garcia on his computer, so now the four of you had the plane to yourselves. 

"Hey my lovelies, where is everyone?" Garcia asks, and you assure her they're on their way. 

"So, y/n. What's this I hear about Jake from floor two?" Morgan asks, quirking an eyebrow. "Is pretty girl maybe getting a new boyfriend?" he asks, grinning.  
"Oh definitely not." someone says, and it's not you. You turn in surprise to Reid, and he blushes.  
"Ooh, girl you better be careful... you're making little boy genius here jealous." Morgan taunts, grinning and folding one foot on top of his other knee.  
"No, I just... heard he was getting handsy is all." Reid retorts, neck still crimson.  
That gets Morgan sober really fast, and he sits up straight, his eyes poring into yours. "That asshole is getting handsy?" he asks, his voice calm but deeper than usual.  
You blush. "It's nothing bad, really, he just doesn't really get the concept of personal space."  
"Yeah, he also doesn't get the concept of not touching girls biceps and then _leaving his hand there unpromted._ " Garcia chimes in, her voice slightly tinny from the computer audio.  
Morgan's jaw ticks. "Hey y/n if he's bothering you, you tell me. I'll dropkick his ass out of Virginia." Morgan says.  
"See y/n! Told you Morgan would." Garcia says, just as Emily, JJ, and Rossi walk in.  
"Now what's Morgan doing?" JJ asks, settling into her seat next to Emily.  
You groan, you didn't mean for everyone to know about your embarrassing communications with 'Jake from floor two' as everyone was calling him.  
"Oh just dropkicking some asshole out of Virginia." Morgan replies, grin back.  
"Oof. Wouldn't want to be that guy right now. What'd he do?" Emily asks, leaning back against the seat.  
"It's Jake from floor two." you supply.  
"Oh yeah, totally dropkick him." Emily and JJ say in unison.  
Morgan throws his hands up in the air. "Did everyone know about this but me? Come on now guys, you know I'll always be here to dropkick people out of your lives."  
You smile at him, then face back forward and let out a sigh.

Hotch enters, and everyone becomes more professional, pulling out case files and switching gears.  
You all converse about M.O.s and signatures, and Hotch divvies up the assignments. You're headed to the most recent abduction site with Rossi, and you smile over at him. He gives you a thumbs up and a smile, and you're happy. Rossi was always fun to be around, like a (young!) work grandfather.

You work the case, well and thoroughly, getting distracted enough to forget about your Jake dilemma. You return home about a week later, exhausted and thoroughly worn. Still, duty calls, and the entire team heads to the Quantico building to finish our files. You walk into the lobby, surrounded by your team, and see Jake walking towards you guys, a smile on his face. 

You feel a small part of you crumple, you are _really_ way too fucking tired to deal with this right now. Reid seems to notice, edging closer to you in what you take as a show of moral support. You sigh and lag behind, knowing you'd rather face this away from Hotch. You get some concerned glances from Emily and JJ, but Reid actually lags behind with you, and soon the rest of the team is out of sight.

"Hey y/n! And hey! It's Agent Reid, right?" Jake asks, holding his hand out to Reid.  
"Actually, it's Doctor Reid. And I don't really shake hands." Reid says, giving Jake what could only be interpreted as a sort of condescending smile.  
You didn't know he had it in him, and secretly congratulate him, giving him a surprised, closed-lipped smile.  
"So, y/n, I've been waiting, and," Jake starts, coming round next to you and putting his hand on the small of your back. He starts walking and you and Reid have no choice but to follow. You notice Reid's jaw is clenched, and he keeps looking at Jake's hand, his eyebrows pushed together and the sides of his mouth pinching down.  
Jake continues to chat about the new restaurant, pretty much completely ignoring Reid... when you feel his hand drop down quite a bit. You startle, taking in a quick and desperate breath, everything freezing up again. Your chest feels tight, and suddenly Reid has a hand on your arm, pulling you away from Jake and next to him.  
"Listen, what was your name again, Agent Jake?" Reid asks, and you can hear a defensive tone popping up in his voice.  
"Uh, no, just Jake. Still working on that Agent part." Jake says with a chuckle.

Neither of you laugh along with him.

"Well, _'just Jake',_ I've got to say, it kind of seems like you admire y/n as more than friends." he says, his hand still resting lightly on your arm. You don't mind.

"Well," he chuckles, "I was kind of working my way there, but I guess I can't really keep it a secret from you _male_ profilers, huh?" he says, and sirens go off in your head. A feeling of disgust rises within you, and you can feel Reid tense next to you.

"Look, good for you and all, but I'd really prefer it if you stopped hitting on my girlfriend, k?" Reid says, and you see his hand fidgeting. He glances down at you, and you can see it in his eyes that he's trying to say sorry.

Jake scoffs, then pauses, then frowns, looking between the two of you. You've got to say, the two of you probably weren't convincing, especially since you guys were standing around a foot apart.

You take in a deep breath, stepping closer to Reid and wrapping a tentative arm around his waist, smiling up at him. He smiles back down at you, bringing his arm around your shoulders, and you feel warm. 

"Oh.. well, sorry man. Didn't know she was your thing. See ya around." Jake says, nodding at Spencer before walking away.

You gawk after him, making a bewildered noise. "He tries to get me to go on a date with him for weeks, then just acts like I'm some sort of object and I don't exist? Thank goodness for men like you." you say, shaking your head, your hand still around his waist and his still around your shoulders. 

You realize you should probably let go and step back, your arm falling away from his waist and his arm falling back to his side. He clears his throat, nodding and still looking a bit angry. "I take back what I said earlier about him probably just not understanding social cues. He totally knew you weren't interested, you can tell." he says, starting to walk towards the elevator. You walk next to him, a good foot of space between the two of you. 

You start to round the corner, only to come face to face with JJ, Emily, Garcia, Morgan, and Rossi. Even Hotch is there, although he's a bit farther down the hallway and texting someone on his phone. You and Spencer stand awkwardly, staring at the rest of the team who had surely been watching and listening as the entire thing went down. 

They all start expressing their hatred toward Jake, calling him a misogynistic pig and making plans for when and where Morgan's dropkicking would be taking place. You laugh along with them, getting in the elevator as the team begins to ride up. Even Hotch admits to hearing parts of the conversation, and slyly mentions that he could bring an anonymous report to the Director's attention if you want. You just smile nervously, feeling 10x lighter than before.

Once the hating campaign is over, Morgan leans back and grins. "So, pretty boy and pretty girl together, huh? I think it might be... _beneficial_ if the two of you were to parade around together a bit, really seal the deal." he says, earning a chorus of agreement from the rest of the women. You and Reid both blush, saved by the bell as the elevator doors open.

Later that night, you finish your files, yawning and heading home. You pass Reid in the parking lot, then quickly double back. "Hey, Spence? I just wanted to say thanks for getting rid of him. I was going to confront him, I really was... but I guess I'm not the first one to say something like that." you and Reid smile at that, and he brushes his hair out of his face. "Don't worry about it. That guy was a douchebag. I can't believe he got hired into the FBI." Reid replies.

"Yeah, well, hopefully he'll go find someone who's actually interested. Or, better yet, go live alone in the mountains so no other woman has to suffer through that insecure little-" you cut yourself off, remembering who you're talking to. Spence just laughs, then says goodnight and waves, getting into his car. You say goodnight and wave back, walking over to your car and smiling down at your shoes.

You tell yourself it's only because Jake is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is younger Spencer. Omfg should I make it glasses Reid... pls comment! much love


	3. chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> happy valentines my lovelies

You walk into the FBI building, your head on a swivel. You make it to the elevators, getting one all to yourself. You let out a deep breath, banging your head back against the elevator wall and sighing. Finally, no Jake encounters. 

The elevator dings open, and you walk into the bullpen, grinning, nearly announcing to the world that Jake _finally_ didn't bother you for once... 

but then you see Jake standing right down in the bullpen. 

Your vision tints red, and your jaw ticks. You brush past him without a glance in his direction, but you can feel his stare on your back as you walk away. You suspect he was looking a little lower than your back, the fucking pig. You enter the conference room, only to feel tensions running high. Spencer's standing at the window, looking down at Jake angrily, and he's not the only one that looks like they feel that way. 

"I'm sorry y/n, we tried to call you but kept getting voicemail. He got an internship with one of the members of another BAU team so he'll be temporarily working here." Garcia says, her voice trailing off.

"Don't worry about me." you say, shaking your head. You see Emily's jaw clench. "Time will pass, he'll hopefully be gone. It'll be okay." you say, but even you hear how little you really mean it. 

There's a new case, and Hotch debriefs everyone. As Garcia leaves, she mentions slyly that she could make sure Jake never gets transferred to the BAU should it come to that. You smile and wink at her. 

You have to pass his desk to get your go-bag, and you stand up tall, ignoring him again.

"Hey y/n, looks like we're going to be on the same floor for a while." you hear Jake say.

You turn around, looking him in the eye. "Out of all the fake excuses I used to get away from you, having an ass-ton of work wasn't one of them. Don't bother me." you say, brushing past him and grabbing your bag.

Jake says nothing, and you leave, working the case like always.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
You get back from the case with the rest of the team, exhausted. Spencer holds open the BAU doors for everyone, and you trudge through, momentarily forgetting the Jake predicament. Your bubble is burst, however, to find him standing at your desk and looking up at you.

Next to you, JJ tenses, then walks straight towards Jake, posture straight as she flips her hair behind her shoulders. You run to catch up to her, not wanting her to do what she was about to do.

"JJ, let me handle him? Please? Or lets at least not antagonize him directly." you ask her, hand on her shoulder.

JJ looks back at you, frowning and sighing. She hugs you, ignoring Jake as she walks past him. Jake's eyes follow her, and you snap in front of his face.

"Asshole, eyes up here." you say, gripping your bag as the rest of your team not-so-covertly lurks around the two of you. 

"What happened to not antagonizing me? Come on, y/n, what'd I ever do to you?" Jake responds, pouting. "Lets talk this out." Jake continues, taking a step towards you and putting an unwelcome hand on your shoulder.

"Did you know it only takes 9 PSI to give you a boxer's fracture? It's quite common, really." Spencer says, walking to stand next to you calmly. "Get your hand off her. Now." he says, hands in his pockets.

"Hey man, relax." Jake says with a grin, holding his hands up jokingly. "You know, my friend down on the ground floor said you were single, y/n. She said she's never even heard the two of your names used together in a sentence." he continues, lowering his hands and inspecting them. "Now, I may not be a profiler, _yet,_ but I have to say, I don't think you two are dating. I've never even seen you two hold hands." Jake says with an ugly laugh, crossing his arms in front of him.

You feel your eyes flash, and Spencer turns towards you. In turn, you face towards him, but the two of you continue to just stand there, looking at each other.

"Just as I thought." Jake says, pushing away from your desk and walking away.

You grab your febreeze and spray the area he was standing in. You throw it back in your drawer, shutting it harshly. "Sorry." you murmur to Reid, sitting down and pulling out a pen to finish your paperwork.

Reid hesitates, then walks away without saying anything. The team doesn't bother you for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a brain dump fanfic. Definitely not my best work. Still, kudos is appreciated and coveted! Check out F*ck Off, Spencer Reid in my other works for enems-to-lvrs. much love


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyy I edited the first two chapters because they were low-key awful! 
> 
> much love

You're nearly finished with your files, still fuming. You direct your entire focus from one word to the next, your knee bouncing underneath your desk. Your jaw clicks and you start a new file, just for your pen to break. Thankfully, the ink only spills on the part of your desk that's empty. "shit." you mutter, pushing back from your desk and throwing away your pen. You head to the bathrooms, looking for paper towels to clean up the spill. You grab some, glancing in the mirror as you pass by and doubling back to find some ink spilled on your white shirt.

You nearly start sobbing right then and there. An overwhelming feeling of fatigue overcomes you, and you close your eyes, feeling jittery and unstable. You walk out of the bathroom, slowly, listening to the click of your shoes on tile and clenching the towels in your right hand.

"Y/N." you hear a voice say softly, breaking you out of your stupor.  
You look up in surprise to see Spencer, hands in pockets as he gives you a tentative smile.  
"Hey. I uh, broke a pen." you say, gesturing down at your shirt.  
Spencer blinks, not saying or doing anything for an awkward moment. He then comes to, quickly and clumsily slipping out of his jacket.  
"Oh that's really okay Spence-" you start, rubbing at your shirt futilely.   
"It's fine, I was getting warm anyways." Spence replies, holding out his FBI jacket.   
You hesitate for a moment, then reach a hand out, taking it from him and slipping it on. It's a bit big on you, Spencer's pretty tall.   
"Thanks." you say, looking up at him with a happy but close-lipped smile. "It's warm." you continue, looking down and flapping your arms out to the side.   
Spencer laughs, tucking his hair behind his ears.

You smile up at him again, sticking the towels in the jacket pocket. "So, was there something you wanted to talk about?" you ask, the sleeves of the jacket falling over your hands adorably.  
"Right, uh, I just wanted to apologize about earlier. With Jake. I've kissed people before, it shouldn't have been such a big deal-"   
"No!" you exclaim, surprised, cutting him off.  
Spencer blinks, a bit taken aback by your outburst, and you quickly work to rectify it.  
"I just meant, that was totally not your fault. Jake's a jerk, and I know that. You already went out of your way before in the lobby by saying you were my boyfriend, and I'm sure neither of us expected that we would have to prove it. I can deal with him, his opinion shouldn't matter to me, anyways." you say, feeling your face heat a bit.

Spencer nods, giving you a small tight-lipped smile before heading back to the bullpen with his hands in his pockets. You follow him, feeling weird about the conversation you had just had. 

You head back to your desk and mop up the mess, careful not to stain Reid's jacket. You quickly finish your files, ducking under Reid's arm as he holds the door open for you on the way out.

You both get in the elevator, standing a healthy distance apart as you both exit on the parking level.

The moment your foot hits the asphalt of the parking lot, a car's brights blind you. Jake pulls up next to you and Spencer, rolling down his window. 

"Hey! If it isn't my favorite liars. I knew a bitch like you couldn't score, even with a cunt like him." Jake calls, and you can tell that he's drunk. 

You swallow your disgust, you and Spencer exchanging a look as you walk up to his window, slowly.

"Jake." you say calmly, bending down to eye level. "I'm not sure you should be driving." you continue, tilting your head and ignoring the bottle of vodka in the cupholder.   
"Oh piss off." Jake says, jerking his arm out erratically, causing you to quickly step back to avoid being hit. "It's Friday, and I'm barely toasted. Stop changing the subject." he says, a sloppy grin appearing.

"Come on." Spencer whispers to you, tugging on your arm. "Let him go. I'm sure he's been worse."  
You hesitate, looking up at Spencer. A part of you hates yourself for it, but you shake your head. "He really should be taking a taxi or something. As much as it might solve a few of my problems, I can't just let him drive off." you whisper back, and Spencer sighs but nods. 

"Come on, Jake. Get out of the car." you say, turning around to face him again.  
"Or what? You're going to make me? Need I remind you, you're a _woman_ and I'm a _man._ You couldn't take me if you tried." Jake retorts, turning up his music volume.

"Get out of the car, now, before I arrest you for harassment." Spencer says, sticking his hands in his pockets.   
Jake sighs, then rolls his eyes, stepping out of the vehicle and throwing his keys at you. You catch them, shuddering as you gingerly sit in the driver's seat and safely park the car in an empty lot. 

Spencer walks Jake to the street, calling a car service. You and Spence watch as Jake clambers into the car, rolling down the backseat window and grinning at you two. "I knew you were lying." he taunts, and the car pulls away from the curb. 

You sigh, turning back to the garage with Spence and walking towards your car. You open the door, throwing your purse on the passenger seat when you feel Spence tap your shoulder. You turn around, looking up at him.

"Look, if he leaves you alone, dating would be totally worth it." Spencer says. "I mean, fake-dating, of course." Spencer corrects, blushing. 

You wince. "Yeah, it would be. But you know I couldn't ask you to do that. Besides, what happens when someone else comes along and realizes just how amazing you are? We fake-break up and Jake just becomes an asshole again?" you ask, sighing. "I appreciate it, really I do. And I appreciate everything you've done so far, but I couldn't-"

"You wouldn't be." Spencer interrupts, swallowing. "Really. I wouldn't mind, anyways. It's not like the ladies are after me or anything." he says, tilting his head and smiling. "Besides, you said it yourself. It would be worth it, and if it doesn't work out we can just fake-break up like you said. Maybe he'll be gone by then." Spencer finishes, weaving his fingers together.

You bite your lip, glancing around at the nearly empty parking lot. You look back at Spencer, taking a deep breath. 

"Okay." 

You breath out.

"Okay. But the MOMENT you want out-"

"I'll let you know. I promise." Spencer says, offering you a smile. You offer one back, tucking your hair behind your ears again. 

You close your eyes briefly, leaning against your car door. "And, about the ladies? They'd be swarming if they really knew you, trust me. You're the smartest person I've ever met, you're kind, you're loyal, and the little rants you go on about facts and things that interest you are the cutest things ever." you say, letting out a small laugh as you open your eyes again. 

Spence just smiles back, murmuring a quiet, "thanks."

"Right. So, um, we should establish rules, right? Like if you're comfortable holding hands with me and whatnot. I know germs aren't your friends or anything, so..." you trail off, clearing your throat.

"Yeah, right, good idea. Well, it's pretty late now. How about tomorrow, over coffee? If you don't have plans or anything, that is." Spencer offers, tapping his foot on the ground nervously. 

You smile genuinely. "Sounds good. I'll text you, okay?" 

Spencer nods, giving you a small wave before heading away to his own car.

You get in your own, tapping your fingers against the wheel nervously. You text Spencer the address of a local coffee shop and a time, and Spencer responds by adding a thumbs up to your message. 

You pull your hair back into a ponytail, driving past Jake's empty car as you leave the parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song rec of the day: Love is a Bitch by Two Feet
> 
> also... I've never written anything like this really before? So please bear with me <3


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is so much softer than I'm used to... idk what to do omg

(major lara jean covey vibes about to go down)

"Hey." you say with a smile, waving at Spencer as you sit down across from him at the coffee shop.  
He smiles back, already sipping at a coffee. 

You both sit still for an awkward moment, and you decide to just get straight to business.

"So, what's allowed and what's not allowed. Let's hash it out." you say, opening your phone notes app.

Spencer sits up and clears his throat, checking things off as if he were reading a list in his head. "Things I'm okay with, hand holding, hugging, kissing, sitting next to or on me, and/or other things to be determined once we encounter them." he began, and you quickly typed them in. "Things I'm not okay with, I'm not actually sure. Nothing extreme, I guess. But any normal dating stuff is fine." he blushes, sipping at his coffee again. You laugh to relieve the tension. "Yeah, you can even consider this practice for any of your eventual relationships." you offer, clasping your hands together on the table. "I'm fine with the same things, and not fine with the same things. Really, this probably didn't warrant an entire coffee date, but it's nice to be here, at least." you continue, excusing yourself to quickly order (insert coffee order here).

Spence murmurs his agreement, ordering his own drink. Your phone buzzes, and you look down at it, noticing in your peripheral that Spence is checking his phone too.

You both sigh at the same time.

A new case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, this chapter is like 5 words.
> 
> I just need to publish SOMETHING or I'll go crazy
> 
> See? Now I feel productive. Bam.

**Author's Note:**

> please leave kudos if you liked!! much love


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